Southeast Family YMCA

★★★★★McNerdy Family

One of my favorite y m c a's and I get to travel all over just such an amazing group of people special.Thank you to amanda and the child care section because she took such good care of my nonverbal son while I worked out.

★Greg Simmons

Visiting from Raleigh, NC; this gym is a nasty dump, and it's a good place to get a staph infection. It's difficult to sanitize the gym equipment due to all of the cracked vinyl and fabric exposed on the equipment. The HVAC vents are caked with dust as if they have not been cleaned in years. The floors are filthy and the gym equipment is not well maintained. This location does not have their priorities set straight.

★Dark Days6

I was profiled by the staff! My wife and I walked in with our son, said hello to the lady at the desk, scanned our cards and took our boy to the child care area to play with his friends like we do on a regular basis. After we got our son settled in we proceeded to walk into the gym area to do a workout while he played. As we were walking past the treadmills and ellipticals an elderly white woman employee that wasn't at the desk when we entered began chasing me through the gym shouting EXCUSE ME EXCUSE ME EXCUSE ME and asked me if I went up front and scanned in. I told her "Yes ma'am, I did" and asked if she would like to see my membership card to confirm, to which she told me that wouldn't be necessary. She didn't ask my wife, who is also white like her and entered at the exact same time as me - right next to me if she had scanned in. After she walked away I looked around and there were several people staring at me as if I had done something wrong. It was very embarrassing and off putting. My wife said she had never seen that happen before despite being in the gym all the time. As I worked out I made it a point to observe this woman so I could see if she was asking other people if they scanned in and I didn't see her stop anyone else the whole time I was there. This leads me to the unfortunate and uncomfortable conclusion that I was singled out because I am of a darker complexion. I do not make accusations like this lightly and prefer to think better of people but with all the factors considered and everything I saw that day I can't come to any other conclusion. This is a big disappointment considering I have been coming to this same location to work out and swim since I was a teenager over 20 years ago. I am 37 and I even played t-ball here when I was 4 years old for crying out loud! I literally grew up at this Y. I can't believe it is 2026 and we are still doing this type of thing to people. For all the financial trouble they are going through lately you would think they would place a little more importance on the treatment of paying customers that keep them afloat. Just go somewhere else if you can.

★KC Coley

I want to start by saying that I genuinely enjoy both the Madison and Downtown YMCA locations. Unfortunately, the South Y has developed a reputation for being unwelcoming, which is why I canceled my membership several years ago. When I recently saw a teacher promotion being offered, I was hopeful that things may have improved. Unfortunately, that was not my experience. I was informed that the promotion could only be applied with a physical school-issued ID badge. As a teacher for several years, I no longer carry a badge, so I offered multiple alternative forms of verification, including my school email, the school website, Clever, PowerSchool, and even bank statements. None of these were accepted. While I appreciate efforts to recognize educators, it is discouraging to see a promotion advertised as “supporting” teachers while excluding them, unless they meet a very narrow criteria. I am disappointed by how unaccommodating the experience was and saddened to see that the atmosphere at the South Y has not changed.

★★★★★Nicole (Nemmie)

My family is here every day. My kids have grown up in childcare. I enjoy the community events they put on. Other newer facilities may feel nicer but I'm pretty low maintenance when it comes to a gym. It's great for our needs and affordable. We use pool, childcare, classes, gym equipment. I only wish there were an outdoor pool and then I wouldn't have to buy a $500 membership at a community pool.